We Never Really Parted

“I just couldn’t help myself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It was supposed to mean I miss you.”

“Then why couldn’t you just say that? Why do you always have to put things with so little emotion?”

“You know I’ve always been rubbish with words, Adeline. I can never really say what I feel.”

“But you’ve said it before, Rick. You said it just then.”

“Exactly. I said it just then. At least you know it.”

“I don’t know what to say to that.”

“How about you miss me too? You obviously do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here with me right now.”

“It’s been three years, I got curious. I still wonder what you’re getting up to some times.”

“So, you missed me.”

“You were always such an arrogant twat.”

“That’s exactly how you fell for me.”

“Actually, I thought you were funny. Even sweet some times…And don’t pull that face, I know you’d hate it when I’d say it.”

“What face?”

“The one that makes you look like you’ve ate a sour lemon, it always made me laugh.”

“But it made you laugh again. See, we had good times…Why did we even break up?”

“I lost my trust in you.”

“You could try to find it again. You were always good at finding my keys.”

“It’s not the same thing. I almost lost my scholarship, I couldn’t focus because I was always focused on you and what you were doing.”

“I should have messaged you more. The excitement of being away from home really overcame me.”

“And it completely vanquished me.”

“Look, I really am sorry, Adeline.”

“You never tried to visit me, not even once.”

“I couldn’t face going back home. It wasn’t you.”

“You could’ve stayed at my dorm with me.”

“I didn’t know that it was an option.”

“Don’t cry, Adeline. Hey. I saw your graduation post on Facebook. Top marks, I am so proud of you. Did you enjoy your university experience?”

“It was fun. I learned a lot of new psychology, I learned a lot about myself. I even made some pretty cool friends along the way.”

“I’m happy for you. Did you meet anyone new?”

“I said I made new friends.”

“I meant a boyfriend. Did you date anyone at your uni?”

“Well, no. I didn’t.”

“You didn’t find anyone you were interested in?”

“ I never really had the time to.”

“So, I guess it was better for you that we broke up anyway.”

“Maybe I…

I suppose so. Did you find a new girlfriend?”

“To be honest with you Adeline, I dated a girl for a year…What’s that face for?”

“Nothing. I imagined that something like that would happen.”

“Really Adeline, I didn’t know her when we were together. I promise.”

“Was she nice?”

“She was lovely. She just wasn’t you.”

“Why did you message me to meet today?”

“I got back home a week ago. I needed to see you.”

“Needed?”

“I find it hard to forget you.”

“We were inseparable for two years.”

“Until I left for uni and messed it all up.”

“Were you happy?”

“I didn’t do as well as my big-headed self expected. I still passed though, which I’d say was lucky for me.”

“Did you spend too much time partying?”

“It was too much time in misery.”

“It looked fun. Your Instagram stories always managed to keep me on the edge of my seat.”

“You know what I’m like when I’m alone in my room.”

“I do.”

“I’m a fool for not reaching out to you sooner.”

“Sometimes things are meant to happen the way they do.”

“Was it even hard for you? Us breaking up.”

“It took me some months to feel right again. It got easier after a while but… There was always this nagging feeling that would ache inside of me…How was it for you?”

“I tried to do other things and that worked for a bit. It was even fun. Then sometimes I would smell your green apple shampoo when I tried to sleep in my bed, even though you never touched it. I would stay awake for hours.”

“You never told me.”

“I assumed you didn’t want to talk.”

“I was always waiting for your message. It’s the reason we broke up.”

“Would you ever forgive me, Adeline?”

“I forgave you a long time ago…I forgot the unacceptable, eventually I could only remember the good.”

“Do you feel the same about me? The way you felt before we reached the unacceptable.”

“Rick. We’ve came a long way.”

“I was hoping you’d say either yes or no.”

“The sea never loses the shore.”

“And the moon never really parts from the sky.”

“I have missed you.”

“So there is still a chance.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“There must be a reason you stayed single.”

“Because I care about me.”

“I had nothing to do with it then.”

“You didn’t stay single, Rick.”

“Adeline…I am being genuine.”

“Why won’t you be my friend?”

“I never said I wouldn’t.”

“Then you haven’t really lost me, have you?”

“Do you remember when my dad spent the weekend away in Seattle?”

“How could I forget?”

“We were an old married couple. Breakfast in bed in the morning, there was no time where you left my hip.”

“Right. Like I said, how could I forget?”

“What about when we went hiking with Noah and Claire?”

“I said we could be friends.”

“Noah and Claire are friends and I’m sure it doesn’t hurt them to remember it.”

“Maybe we can’t really be friends then.”

“You were always indecisive.”

“And you always moved so fast…Besides, I’m not indecisive. You were always good at creating doubt.”

“So maybe we shouldn’t be friends then.”

“It’s been three years since I’ve last seen you, Rick.”

“And we’ve both acknowledged we feel the same, Adeline.”

“We feel the same, we don’t want the same.”

“How can we feel the same and not want the same?”

“How does the caterpillar discover it’s a butterfly?”